After a long wait, and the cliffhanger that Borderlands 3’s finale left the franchise at, the release of Borderlands 4 is almost here. First announced at Gamescom Opening Night Live 2024, players can look forward to plenty more reveals and showcases leading up to Borderlands 4’s official release later this year, on September 23, 2025.
While one of the early previews for Borderlands 4 so far didn’t quite leave a good impression on the entirety of the Borderlands franchise’s community, the latest trailer shown off at the February 2025 State of Play arguably gives fans what they’ve been hoping for, showcasing more gameplay than cinematics. In hindsight, this new gameplay trailer for Borderlands 4 feels quite like an explicit statement to the backlash surrounding Borderlands 4’s previous trailer.
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Borderlands 4’s February State of Play Trailer Puts the Action Front and Center, Where it Belongs
After the initial teaser announcement for Borderlands 4, a trailer came soon after at The Game Awards 2024, with a more proper look at the game. This trailer gave players the first look at some of the environments and characters that will be featured in the next Borderlands game, and it also hinted that Borderlands’ long-awaited Watcher’s War could finally happen. However, despite what this trailer did show, many fans were frustrated with what the trailer didn’t show.
Borderlands 4’s Official First Look Reveal Trailer Was Criticized for Prioritizing Vague Cinematics
Overall, the Official First Look trailer for Borderlands 4 was more of a cinematic trailer than anything, leaving some of the core elements of Borderlands 4’s gameplay still unclear. More specifically, very few guns were shown off in detail, and little was revealed about the next generation of playable Vault Hunters aside from their appearance. Ultimately, the environments and presumed antagonists stole the spotlight in this trailer more than anything else.
Naturally, with Borderlands 4’s release date fast approaching, franchise fans are eager to see some gameplay sooner rather than later. Hence, when the latest trailer dropped at the February 2025 State of Play and finally showed off some gameplay, it felt like a direct response to the backlash surrounding the previous trailer shown at TGA 2024.
Borderlands 4’s New Official Launch Date Trailer Shows Off Stylish Gameplay
After the new trailer dropped, it was revealed that Borderlands 4 will be showcased again at another upcoming State of Play event, coming sometime in Spring 2025.
The previous trailer for Borderlands 4 was the topic of a lot of criticism for what many fans considered to be an underwhelming portrayal of the new generation of Vault Hunters. However, reactions to the new trailer so far seem to be much more positive now that this new trailer puts the action front and center.
This trailer starts with the new Siren Vault Hunter in Borderlands 4 looting a legendary weapon from a chest, followed by a glorious montage of the other Vault Hunters blasting psychos to bits with various abilities and weapons. With gunplay and unique character abilities being one of the Borderlands franchise’s signature strengths, finally getting to see what some of these new tools of mayhem will look like in the franchise’s next game is a sweet treat. Another element of gameplay that the trailer finally puts the spotlight on is some of the new movement abilities coming to Borderlands 4’s playable characters, notably grappling hooks, double jumps, and swimming.
Arguably, when it comes to the setting and villains that will be featured in the franchise’s upcoming game, Borderlands 4 should leave these stones unturned and instead let fans explore these mysteries firsthand when the game releases. In the meantime, future trailers showcasing more of the gameplay mechanics, special abilities, and weaponry that players will have access to seem like what fans want most.
Looter Shooter
Action
Adventure
RPG
- Released
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September 23, 2025
- ESRB
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Rating Pending